Excavating or boring apparatus



March 17, 1931. w.,R. DEGENHARDT ETAL 1,797,024

EXCAVATING OR BORING APPARATUS Filed June 2',

1928 9: Shelets-Sheet 1 MNNE R l l March 17,1931. w. R. DEGENHARDT ETAL 1,797,024

EXCVATING OR BORING APPARATUS Filed June 2'; 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet '2 March 17, 1931- w. R. DEGENHARDT E1' AL 1,797,024

EXCAVATING OR BORING APPARATUS Filed June 2, 1928 9 sheets-sheet 3 w. R. DEGENHARDT E1' AL 1,797,024

EXCAVATING OR BORING APPARATUS March 17,I 1931.

Filed June 2, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 .Emy

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W. R. DEGENHARDT ET AL ExcAvATNG 0R BORING APPARATUS March 17, 1931.

Filed June 2, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 March.v 17, l931 w. R. DEGENHARDT E'r AL 1,797,024

EXCVATING'OR BORING APPARATUS Filed June 2, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 GAL-w JMJ, D

wwwa-mwah@ M *n C March 17, 1931. l w. RyDEGENl-IARDT E'r AL 1,797,024

EXCAVATING OR BORING APPARATUS Filed Je 2- 1928 y 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 @y WM df V f J M ,i al $9] i g3/Y j@ March 11, 1931. w. R. DEGENHARDT ET A1 1,797,024

EXCAVATING/OR BORING APPARATUS Fild June 2, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 March 17, 1931. w. R. DEGENHARDT ET AL 1,797,024

EXCAVATING OR yBORING APPARATUS Filed June` 2, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 mud-Kv Patented Mar. 17, 1931 5 1.. STATES PATENT OFFCE WILLIAI'I RUSSELL DEGENHARDT, 0F LONDON, ALLAN FRED DE FRAINE, OF WEvIBLEY, AND ROBERT HENRY BICKNELL, DECEASED, LATE OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, @BY ROBERT ALAN WIMBERLEY BICKNELL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AND ARTHUR IBICKNELL, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES, AS- SIGNORS TO THE FRANCOIS CEMENTATION COMPANY LIMITED, OF DONCASTER,

ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY EXCAVATING OR BORING V.APPARATUS Application led June 2, 1928, Serial No. 282,384, and in Great Britain J'une 14, 1927.

This invention relates to excavating, tun neling or shaft boring apparatus of the general automatically controlled type described in the specification of British Patent No.

5 238,262 (Bicknell) in which an abrading tool or cutter adapted to remove the material to be bored removes the complete surface of the end of the tunnel or shaft so as to enable the boring apparatus to move steadily forward o while the disintegrated material is removed.

The tool or cutter is mounted upon a universally pivoted arm which is caused to move to carry the tool over the surface to be disintegrated so that all parts of this surface are successively acted upon within the range of movement of the tool. In the form of apparatus referred to above the said arm (herein termed the tool arm or traversing arm) is moved in a spiral path at constant angular speed with the result that as the tool approaches the central position or minimum radius of action the linear velocity of the said `arm'decreases The effect of this is'that the number of blows given by the tool per unit length of movement will be fewer at the maximum radius of action and will increase, as the radius of action decreases, so as to reach a maximumat the minimum radius of action; as a result of this the material is removed to a greater extent near the centre of the tunnel than at the periphery during the first cut so as to give the working face of the tunnel the shape of a parabola and it is then necessary, before the apparatus can be moved forward, to bring the working face of the tmmel to the concave spherical shape by moving the tool arm or traversing` arm so as to cause the tool to operate several times upon the outer portion of the working face. This leads to a considerable loss in the eEective working time of the apparatus and the chief object of the present invention is to equalize the action of the tool over the complete surface so as to cause the work to proceed at a regular rate in the desired direction with all parts of the surface removed to the same depth at each complete cycle of movement so as to avoid the above mentioned loss in the effective working time of the apparatus.

According to this invention the tool is automatically guided over the surface of the work in such a manner that the product of the linear velocity of the tool and its active area is a constant or approximately so, with the result that a constant or approximately constant volume of material isabraded or removed per unit of time. For this purpose the active area of the tool may be maintained constant throughout the operation in which case its linear velocity is made also constant or substantially constant, that is vto say the speed of rotation of the tool around the axis of movement is made inversely proportional to the radius of the movement.

To give the required movement of the tool over the surface in the case of constant linear speed, the path employed may be spiral with a constantly varying angular speed of movement inversely proportional to the distance from the central axis that is to say with its minimum angular speed at the periphery and its maximum at or near the centre. Or instead of a spiral path a circular movement may be given to the tool at constant linear speed, the tool, after completing a circle, being moved inwardly or outwardly through the required distance for a second circular cut, successive complete circles being traversed with an angular speed changing at each change of circle to give a rotary speed varying inversely to the radius. Any other suitable continuous path may however be followed by the tool so as to cover the complete face of the tunnelor bore with suitable control which gives the constant linear speed.

To cause the tool to travel in the required path at an angular speed in inverse ratio to the radius of the path, automatic controlling apparatus may be employed which ensures the required linear speed for the tool, either by varying the motor speed or by interposing a variable speed device between the motor and the part driven thereby.

The construction preferred for the control ofthe path ofV the tool comprises a rotary member having` a radial slot or guide within which lies a sliding block pivotally crnnected to an extension on the tool arm or traversing arm, the sliding block being connected to a Gli crank pin on a crank. The said crank and the said rotary member are rotated at different speeds, so that the connection to the said extension moves slowly radially as the crank turns, each revolution of the crank causing the tool to make one complete cycle of movement over the working surface, the radius of the path depending upon the position of the sliding block in the slot or guide.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the front part of apparatus according to this invention in position in a tunnel.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the rear part of the said apparatus.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a plan of Figure l.

Figure 5 is a plan of Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a section showing the preferred form of the mechanical control of the path of the tool of the preceding figures.

Figure 7 is a side view of Figure 6 viewed from the left.

Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the spiral paths of the connection to the tool arm in Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a modification of Figure 6.

Figure l is a diagram showing one way of automatically varying the angular speed of the tool. `1 A Figure 1l is a view similar to Figure 10 showing a modified arrangement.

Figures -12 and l?) are sectional and face views of the tool shown in Figure l.

Figure lll is a sectional end elevation showing hov.T the tool arm or traversing arm is universally pivoted.

Figures l and 16 are respectively a side elevation and a plan illustrating in detail .the construction and arrangement of the pipes shown in Figures l and l, and

Figure l? is a view on a larger scale of part of Figure Il, illustrating details not shown in the latter figure.

Referring to Figures l to 5 the excavating apparatus is mounted on a platform A provided with wheels A1, AfL-movable on rails A2, A2 which may be in sections built up in front as the tunnel proceeds, the sections being Amoved from back to front, or the rail track may be maintained and extended, as each suitable length of tunnel is completed, for example at the end -of each four feet. The said apparatus comprises a tool arm or traversing arm B universally pivoted to brackets B2 on the platform A and provided at its front end with the abrading tool or cutter B3 which is ofthe percussive type operated by liquid wave transmission, the liquid being supplied through I a suitable system of pipes from generators C, C driven by a motor C1. rlhe universal pivoting of the arm B is effected by means of a frame B]L which transverse truiinions b1, 1 pivotally mounted in the brackets B2, B2, this having a pivot pin b2 on which the aini B can swing laterally. This feature is shown in detail in Figure le. The motor C1 and generators C, C are carried by a Wheeled platform C2 movable on the rails A2, A2 and connected to the rear part of the aforesaid wheeled platform A. The liquid pulsated bythe said generators is carried in pipes C3, C4, C5 of which the pipes C3 and C5 are flexibly connected or jointed to the intermediate pipe Ct. As the liquid has to pass from the fixed pipe C5 to the tool operating chamber Within the tool arm B which has a universal movement as afoiesaid and as a t flexible connection is undesir4 completely ole, the connection from the pipe C5 to a A' -e C leading to the operating chamber of thetool is effected through al pair of rotary joints set at right angles to each other and connected by a curved pipe C7, the arrangement forming a universal oint outside the universal joint of the tool arm. This arrangement is shown in detail in .Figures l5 a d 16 in which C7X is a part ofthe pipe C7 situated. in line with trunnions 1, 1 and rotatably arranged [th respect to the front part of the fixed ne axis of the aforesaid pivot pin b2. the said ends of the pipes being heid in position by a collar C?.

rllhe rear part or extension of the tool arm B is provid d with a counter-weight B4 which may conveniently be built up, in situ, by a succession .of lead discs on bushes secured in position by a screwed cap. rl`lie rear end of the said tool extension slidably carries a ball-shapedl member B5 loosely held in socket D formed in block D1.. This block (see Figures 6 and 7) is mounted to slide in iadial'guides D2, D2 in a rotary meinber D3 and is. formed with a slot D1X receiving a small block all connected to a crank pin D4 on a disc U5. The said member D3 is suitably mountedupon ahollow shaft D3X and the disc D5 has shaft B5* rotatably mounted in said hollow shaft. lie said hollow shaft has a worm wheel D6 meshing with a worm D7 which is mounted on a shaft DTX driven in any suitable manner (for example by a belt 5X7* and pulleys (Z7, (Z8) from a driving motor DS carried by the aforesaid wheeled platform A. The said hollow shaft carries agear wheel als Vand the inner shaft D5x carries a gear wheel Z5 having one or two more or one or two fewer teeth than the gear wheel the axis of the af0rel (Z3, these gear wheels meshing with corresponding gear wheels Z3X, 5X suitably7 mounted upon a lay shaft DX. Thus when the hollow shaft DSX is rotated by the motor DS the member D3 is rotated and the sliding block D1 is given a radial movement so that the ball-shaped member B5 is given the required spiral path of movement. Figure 8 shows this spiral path, the full lines representing the path of movement brought about by thc angular displacement of the crank disc D5 on its axis through 180 degrees from the position shown in Figures 6 and 7,- and the broken lines representing the path of movement brought about by the angular displacement of the said disc through a further 180 degrees to bring it into its original position.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 9 the gear wheel Z3 is rigidly connected to the hollow shaft DSX as aforesaid but the gear wheel Z5 is loosely mounted on the inner shaft DSX and a double clutch member DSX is slidably keyed on the shaft DSX between the said gear wheels. Vhen this clutch member is displaced to the right into engagement with the gear wheel Z5 the parts operate in the manner previously described. When however the said clutch member is moved to the left into engagement with the gear wheel Z3 the shafts DSX and D5X are clutched together and the aforesaid sliding block Dl is held fixed in its guides D2, D2 and the motion of the ball-shaped member B5 (and consequently the motion of the tool B3) is circular. When the clutch member DSX is moved to' the neutral position shown in Figure 9 the tool arm B can be adjusted into a new angular position for'cutting a circular path of different diameter.

To feed the aforesaid platform A forward as each layer of ground is disintegrated, a rearward extension E of the aforesaid shaft D5X driven from the motor D8 through the gear wheels d3, dSX, d5, 5X is provided with a worm E1 meshing with. a worm wheel E2 ,carrying a. cam E3 which, at each complete half cycle, corresponding to one complete operation of the tool over the face of the work, operates upon a roller E4 on a compensating bar E4 carried by the rear ends of spring controlled levers E5, E5; the front ends of these levers carry pawls E, EG engaging ratchet wheels E7, E7 which drive a shaft E7X carrying pinions E8, E8 on its ends. These pinions mesh with toothed wheels ESX, ESX which act on racks E9, E9 inside the rails A2, A2. The details of this mechanism are shown in Figure 17. By disengaging the pawls ES, EG the feed is stopped. The two rails A2, A2 and the racks E9, E0 are mounted on chairs Vcarried by distance bars which are curved when a curved tunnel is being excavated. The shocks occurring during the operation of the tool may be taken by two toggles EX, EX engaging with the crown of the tunnel and by chocks under the vwheels A1, A1 of the carriage A.

For removing the disintegrated material a conveyor is employed of push-plate type comprising a considerable number' of hinged plates F, F-which are carried by reciprocatory members F1, F1 arranged in guides in the lower part of the platform A. During the forward movement these plates are free to swing back so as to pass over the material in front of them, while upon their rearward movement the plates engage the material and scrape it backwards. The conveyor may bey arranged in several sections according to the length of tunnelling and may subsequently deliver the material on to a belt conveyor for final removal.V The reciprocatory members F1, F1 of the conveyor are reciprocated from a motor F2 carried by the platform A, by means of a crank F3 and a connecting rod F 4, the said crank being preferably driven by a belt F5, pulleys F 6, F7 and reduction gearing as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The dbris is automatically removed from the lower part of the face of the work by a scraper G which delivers it to the conveyor., The scraper is mounted on the forward end of a heavy frame or member G1 having rollers G2, G2 which, when the scraper is moved forward over the heap of dbris, rides up inclined members G3 (pivoted at GSX to the front part of the platform A) until they pass the top, at which point the scraper is near the working face. The scraper and heavy frame then drop suddenly and the scraper penetrates the pile of dbris and on the return movement of the frame drags the dbris under the front end ofthe` conveyor which carries it away, the rollers G2 passing beneath the members G8 which rock about their pivots G3X to enable the rollers G2 to reach the original position lready for thenext forward movement. The

scraper is operated lby a cam member G4 moving with the aforesaid member D3 and acting upon a lever G5 connected to the scraper frame, the mechanism being timed so that the scraper when in its forward position is clear of the tool B3.

The tool B3 has a substantially fiat face or a face curved to agree substantially with the curvature of the working face of the tunnel, and in order to attain the aforesaid object of securing that the product of the linear velocity of the tool and its active area is a constant, it is necessary, since the active area of the tool is always the same, to vary the angular speed Iof the tool so that it moves with constant linear velocity. This is achieved, according to Figures l and l0, by automatically'varying the speed of the motor D?. In this case, with an electric motor, the movable element of a variable resistance associated with theY motor and contained Within a casing c 11 is moved in any suitable manner from the aforesaid hollow shaft D3X of Figure 6 so as to increase the speed f the motor progressively as the radius of action of the tool arm B decreases. In the example shown the said movable element is connected to a member Z9 operated by a crank 519 which is driven from the hollow shaft D2X through a gear 9X having a ratio dependent upon the number of spirals made by the tool during each cycle of operations. A similar result is obtained, according to Figure 1l, by driving the hollovT shaft D3X from the motor D8 through a belt D9 and conical or tapered pulleys D"X and D19. The belt is moved into different positions on the said pulleys by `means of the member (Z9 operated by the crank 519 as aforesaid. In the position of the belt shown, the shaft D9X is driven at maximumspeed corresponding to the minimum radius of action of the tool and this radius is increased the speed of the shaft is decreased owing to the belt D9 being moved to bring on to larger part of the pulley D9 and a smaller part of the pulley D19. By suitably arranging the angle or taper of the pulleys it can be ensured that the linear speed of the tool is constant which is necessary as explained above. Any other suitableY device may be employed for varying the speed -of the shaft DSX, such as elliptical gears.

In the particular construction of tool shovvn by Figures 12 and 13, the operating surface is constituted by a series of somewhat sharp annular Wedges or angular ridges b9 with deep radial `or diainetrical slots b3* which serve for clearing the disintegrated material and terminate in peripheral notches through which the material escapes, the angles of clearness and cutting being calculated according to the nature lof the Work. The radial clearing slots may be alternately of differing depths. The tool is also formed With a peripheral cutting or abrading edge .39X by coning the peripheral face of the tool and continuing the radial slots through the peripheral face. The edge thus formed acts upon the peripheral surface of the tunnel or shaft, when the tool is at the edge of its Work.

The tunnel may be formed circular, elliptical or of any other desired cross section according as the tool is controlled. The action may be directed at an angle to tie Vdirection of the tunnel, in which case a circular operation of the cutter Would give an elliptical tunnel and the Walls of the tunnel might take the Whole or part of the shock of the operation thus isolating the machinery from shock. An angle of about o could be used for this purpose.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring integrated.

3. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising an abrading tool, means for moving said tool about an axis norrespending to the asis of th-e tunnel or haft to be bored, means for varying the radial distance of said tool from said axis, vnd means for causing the angular rate of movement of the tool to be inversely proportional te the radial distance.

il. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus, comprising an abrading tool, an arm carrying` said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, means for operating said arm so as to cause the tool to move in a spiral path over the surface to be disintegrated, and means for causing the linear speed of movement of said tool to be substantially constant.

5. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising an abrading tool, an arm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, a motor for operating said arm so as to caus-e the tool to move in a spiral path over the surface to be disintegrated, and

means for automatically varying the speedA of said motor so as to cause the linear speed of movement of said tool to be substantially constant.

6. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus, comprising an abrading tool, an arm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, a motor for operating said arm so as to cause the tool to move in a spiral path over the surface to be disintegrated, a variable speed device interposed betvve'en said motor and said arm, and means for automatically operating said device in order to cause the linear speed of movement of said tool to be substantially constant.

7. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising an abrading tool, an arm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, a motor, a rotary member driven from the motor and provided with a radial guide slot, a sliding block disposed in the said f guide slot and pivotally connecte-d to an extension of the arm carrying the tool, a crank arranged with its a-Xis of rotation co axial with that of said rotary member the pin of said crank being connected to the sliding block, and means for rotating the rotary member and the crank at different speeds.

S. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising an abrading tool, an

velocity over the surface to be disarm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, a motor, a rotary member driven from the motor and provided with a radial guide slot, a sliding block disposed in the said guide slot and pivotally connected to an extension of the arm carrying the tool, a crank arranged with its axis of rotation coaxial with thatl of said rotary member the pin of said crank being connected to the sliding block, gear wheels having different numbers of4 teeth, one of these gear Wheels being driven with said rotary member and the other driving said crank, and connected gear wheels on a lay shaft, the latter gear wheels meshing with the former gear wheels in order to drive the rotary member and the crank at different speeds.

9. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising an abrading tool, an arm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, a motor, a rotary member driven from the motor and provided With a radial guide slot, a sliding block disposed in the said guide slot and pivotally connected to an extension of the arm carlying the tool, a crank arranged with its axis of rotation co-axial with that of said rotary member the pin of said crank being connected to the sliding block, a hollow shaft connected to said rotary member, an inner shaft connected to said crank, gear wheels having different numbers of teeth, means for rigidly connecting one of said gear wheels to one of said shafts and for loosely mounting the other gear wheel. on the other shaft, a double clutch interposed between said gear wheels, means for slidably connecting said clutch to the shaft on which the second gear wheel is loosely mounted, and two connected gear wheels meshing with the first-mentioned two gear wheels.

l0. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising in combination with the elements recited in cla-im l, a member carrying said tool, a wheeled platform carrying said member, a motor carried by said platform, and a device operated by said motor, for automatically moving said platform forward as the work progresses.

11. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising a percussive abrading tool, a member carrying said tool, means for operating said member so as to cause the tool to move over the surface to be disintegrated, a platform carrying said member, a heavy reciprocatory frame, pivoted members on said platform said members being inclined upwardly toward the front, rollers on said frame for riding up said members during the forward movement of the frame until the rollers pass over the ends of said members, whereupon the frame drops by gravity, said rollers cooperating with the lower surface of said members during the rearward movement of said frame to rock said members about their pivots, and a scraper mounted on the front end of said reciprocatory frame.

l2. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising in combination with the elements claimed in claim ll, a motor :for moving the tool member, and means driven from said motor for reciprocating the frame in correct time relationship to the movements of said tool member.

13. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising in combination with the elements claimed in claim 11, a motor for operating the tool member, and a cam driven from said motor for reciprocating the frame in correct time relationship to the movements of the tool member.

14. Excavating, tunnelling or shaft boring apparatus comprising a percussive abrading tool operated by liquid wave transmission, an arm carrying said tool, a universal pivot for said arm, means for operating said arm so as to cause the tool to move over the surface to be disintegrated, and an arrangement of pivoted pipes forming a universal joint which is situated outside the universal pivot of said arm and has its axis of movement coincident with the axis of movement of said universal pivot, said pipes carrying the liquid for operating the tool.

WILLlAM RUSSELL DEGENHARDT. ALLAN FRED de FRAINE. ROBERT ALAN WlMBERLEY BICKNELL, ARTHUR BECKNELL, Administrators of Robert Hcmy Bicknell,

ceased. 

